Bill-form.



D. NI. HENNING.

BILL FORM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1,1917.

1 ,272,258. Patented July 9, 1918.

FW. j' .Sow To WITN ESSES DAVID MAX HENNING, OF MEMPHIS,l TENNESSEE.

BILL-FORM.

Specication of Letters Patent..

Patented July 9, 1918.

Application filed April 7, 1917. v Serial No. 160,437.

To all fui/1,0m t may concern.' A

Beit known that I, DAVID MAX HENNING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bill- Forms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to bill forms, and its objectjis to provide a form for rendering an itemized billof goods purchased and arranged'for the preparation of a check or draft for the payment of the amount of the bill or any part thereof, whereby the check or draft must be deposited in a bank to be returned to the person against whom the bill is rendered, with the indorsed check constituting a receipt, the bill and check being both upon a single piece of paper, and so related that the bill is incomplete without that portion containing the check.

In accordance with the invention a Abill head form is printed upon one face of a sheet of paper, so that an itemized bill may be rendered upon the form for the goods purchased. Printed upon the reverse face of the form and opposite that part constituting the bill head and identifying the concern rendering the bill and the person against' whom the bill is rendered, is printed a blank check or draft which the recipient of the bill may fill out and make payable at a desired bank, whereupon the sheet of paper containing the rendered bill and made out check is returned to the sender of the bill. Then the concern sending the bill'indorses the check in the usual manner in a space provided therefor and deposits the check in a bank for collection, the bill, being on the same sheet of paper, necessarily accompanying the check. In the usual course of business the check with the bill is transmitted to the paying bank to be there charged against the account of the person drawing the check, and ultimately the bill and check are delivered to the purchaser, who thereupon is the possessor of both the bill and the check and is thus not only apprised of the receipt of the check by the sender of the bill, but has possession of the bill itself, vso that the latter is evidence of the purpose of the check.

The invention is designed to save both time and expense, since the sender of the bill may mail it to the purchaser, who lills out the blank check and returns it to the sender, and the latter then has only to deposit the check with the accompanying bill in a bank, and all further trouble and expense is borne by the bank, both sender and purchaser being relieved from considerable correspondence and expense in postage.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing ofthe drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended'claim.

In the drawings:-

Figure I is a face view of a bill containing certain printedv matter and spaces for written matter identifying the purchaser, the articles purchased, and other matter.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the opposite face of the bill showing a draft which may be printed in blank and filled out to the necessary extent by the purchaser.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a sheet l which may be considered as a paper sheet, with a bill head 2 printed at one end said bill head containing spaces 3, 4 for the name and address of the purchaser or the party against whom the bill is rendered, and for a date.

The remainer of the sheet 1,' indicated at 5, has lines and words printed thereon for facilitating the writing in ofthe purchases in the usual manner of making out an itemized bill. Since the sheet l is usually made considerably larger than customary sizes of envelops, fold lines 6 may be indicated, although, of course, such lines may be Y omitted.

On that face of the sheet l remote from the bill head 2 there is printed a blank check or draft 7, and as the check is to be made out to the sender Aof the bill, the printing may include the naine and address of the sender of the bill, thus avoiding the necessity of the purchaser filling in such particular part of the check or draft, and also avoiding the chance of mistake in this particular.

The check may contain a space 8 whereby the check may be made a sight draft by the sender, and other spaces 9, 10, and r11 are provided for lling in the amount, signing the check and filling in the name of the blank check on the back of the bill head.,' either for the full amount of the bill or any part thereof, making the check payable by bank on which the checl; is drawn check 't' may also contain spaces l2, i3 and lll for a number, date, and amountin gures ofthe sum for which the check is drawn.

The check may be purposely so printed that it does not encroach upon the higher vfold line 6, and between such vfold line and the next lower one there is provided a space 15 for indorsements, 'said space having av suitable headingl for the purpose. As an example of the use of the invention, it may be assumedL that a purchaser, indicated as Richard Roe, has obtained goods from B. C. Co. on credit. /At the proper time, say, at the first ofthe following month, a bill is. rendered on the bill head containing the name and address of the purchaser, while the space below the bill head is filled in with.

the names of the items purchased andl the amounts, together with a notation of any,i .balance due from a prior statement and a credit for anyamount that may have been paid thereon. v-

4 Suchbill containing` the blank check Z on the reverse side 'is forwarded to the purchaser, (Richard Roe) say, by mail. When the purchaser desires to pay the bill, or make a payment thereon, he has but to lill out the the purchasers bank, and signing 'the check to validate it.

The bill with the lilled integral part .thereof is now forwarded, as

by mail, to the sender of the bill, (B. C., Co).

U on receipt of the bill and checkby the sen er of the bill the vlatter has but to--inJ dorse the check in the space provided for indorments and ,deposit it in a bank, the

sender being relieveduof further correspond-- ence with the purchaser. The bank thenr attends to the check, sending it in the usual course of business to the paying bank upon which the.-

check is drawn,'and the latter bank attends to the delivery of the bill and check to the purchaser, who thereby not only has a receipt, but the accompanying bill .both integrally connected, and furthermore has the paid check as an integral part of the bill andas a safeguard against any attempt, on

The s in check as an" the collection of' temer for the payment of the" amount of tated,"especially inl the'case 01"- the"'concern i sending out the bills-where great numberspt such bills may be rendered' monthly..

v AThe invention is particularly'` useful the case of guardians, trustees, or other simlf; larly responsible people whoiare requiredv render itemized accounts and furnish vouchT I ers for the payment of the. accountsrfflor instance, suppose. the -purchaseszare 'made 'by' some person under thecontrol o-a guardian,

and the bill is rendered' te-ath@ pu'mhsr-- p While Payment is made by the guarita: nr

such case the rendering of an accountb they guardian is greatly simplied because a l the l material entering into the transaction `and on which report must bel made is'included in one paper, so that liability' of misplacing or misassembling the apers in submitting the.

report. is entirely 4- viated, the whole transe action being far"f-siinpler than is the case where' a bill is sent and'aterward ayment is made as by a separate check, whic 1s per-` ha s lirst received by 'the maker of the check on y after the lapse et considerable time and at another time than the return of the bill,

1n accountsa thus requiring great care in the proper keepn Hh 'combined bill and negotiable finstru- I 'ment to be used in submitting statements ofaccount, comprising a sheet of paper having a bill head occupying the entire face of one side of the sheet, to be lled out by the mer- -fchant before mailing the same to a customer,`

the other face containing a blank `check or draft, with spaces to be lled out by the cut e bill rendered by the merchant. y i ln testimony whereof I ar my 'signature in the presence of two witnesses.

havin naar nnnnine. Witnesses: y

B. Gf; Hnnnrne, v D. llJLn. 

